Black Lake Trail

The Black lake hike begins at the very popular Glacier Gorge trailhead along Bear Lake road in Rocky Mountain National Park. During the summer and weekends, the park shuttle may be the best parking option as the lot is often full by 7am and can be difficult to find a spot throughout the day.

From the Glacier Gorge lot head down the trail and follow signs to Mills Lake. There are several junctions early but they are well signed. After a little over .8 miles you will come to Alberta Falls, which is a very popular spot/destination. The next several miles of trail have moderate grades and generally stay in the forest with several nice views along the way.

At 2.6 miles form the trailhead you will reach Mills Lake. Mills is a beautiful and popular lake that is often used as a final destination. After taking in the views of glacier gorge and Longs Peak, continue on the same trail as it hugs the shoreline of Mills. After Mills you will see Jewel Lake through the trees on the right side of the trail. Jewel is marshier, less impressive lake but still a worthwhile side trip.

After Jewel Lake you have several miles of moderate grades before reaching Black Lake. Just before the final approach the trail opens up as you pass by Ribbon Falls, which is from the outlet of Black Lake. The trail between Mills and Black can be a bit hard to follow, especially with snow on the ground. There are no other maintained trails in this area so with some concentration you should be able to stick to the trail.

At Black Lake there are number of nice places to relax and take in the amazing views of McHenry's Peak and Arrowhead, both very intense but rewarding summits. When you are ready to return follow the same trail back to the trailhead.